Donald Trump Explains His 90-Day Tariff Pause: People Were Getting 'Yippy'
By Sonam Sheth
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President Donald Trump explained his decision on Wednesday to pause reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, telling reporters at the White House that people were "getting a little bit yippy" and "queasy" over days of market turmoil.
Why It Matters
Trump abruptly announced in the afternoon that he would pause most reciprocal tariffs for 90 days and increase tariffs on China to 125 percent after Beijing announced its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports.
The announcement followed days of uncertainty as Trump and his advisers repeatedly insisted that he would not back down on his tariff threats, which consisted of a 10 percent baseline tariff across the board and reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries, including many of the United States' top trading partners.
Trillions of dollars evaporated from the market over the last several days, and the S&P 500 flirted with bear market territory on Wednesday morning. Uncertainty over the president's trade war also hit the bond market as Trump's reciprocal tariffs went into effect at midnight Wednesday.
What To Know
"Well, I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line," the president said when a reporter asked him Wednesday to elaborate on his decision to back down on reciprocal tariffs for 90 days.
"They were getting yippy, you know, they were getting a little bit yippy, a little bit afraid...because we have a big job to do," Trump said.
"No other president would have done what I did...and it had to be done," he added. "But somebody had to do it...because it was not sustainable."
Donald Trump
President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on April 8, 2025. Alex Brandon/AP
He also referenced the slide in the bond market, saying that "people were getting a little queasy" over it.
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The stock market skyrocketed following Trump's announcement of a tariff pause, with the broad market index spiking more than 8 percent in Wednesday afternoon trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 2,721 points, or 7.23 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index soared more than 11 percent.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that although the U.S. will pause reciprocal tariffs on about 75 countries, a 10 percent baseline tariff across the board will remain in place. The White House raised tariffs on China to 125 percent after Beijing announced that it would increase tariffs on the U.S. to 84 percent.
The U.S.-China trade war intensified last week when Trump first announced the U.S. would impose a reciprocal tariff of 34 percent on Chinese goods. However, the White House clarified that the penalty would be in addition to a 20 percent tariff on China already in place, bringing the total tariff on China to 54 percent.
China responded with a 34 percent tariff on the U.S., after which Trump said the U.S. would impose another 50 percent tariff on Chinese goods, bringing the total penalty up to 104 percent. China hit back by raising tariffs on the U.S. to 84 percent, which Trump responded to by increasing his tariffs on China to 125 percent.
Trump called China "the biggest abuser in history" at the White House on Wednesday, adding that Beijing wants to "make a deal" with the U.S. but doesn't know "how to go about it" because "they're quite proud people."
The European Union also announced earlier Wednesday that it would impose a 25 percent tariff on some U.S. imports.
What People Are Saying
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday: "Many of you in the media have clearly missed the art of the deal."
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, on X, formerly Twitter: "[Treasury Secretary] Scott Bessent and I sat with the President while he wrote one of the most extraordinary Truth posts of his Presidency. The world is ready to work with President Trump to fix global trade, and China has chosen the opposite direction."
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul told Punchbowl News: "I hope there's a lesson learned. When you add a bunch of tariffs, you'll lose six trillion in the marketplace. When you get rid of the tariffs, guess what, it comes bounding back."
Democratic strategist Sawyer Hackett wrote on X: "Wow. Trump just caved on the sweeping across-the-board tariffs, issuing a 90-day pause. All of that chaos, trillions of dollars evaporated—for nothing at all."
Update 4/9/25, 3:50 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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